


An Equal Exchange

by enigmaticblue



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-15
Updated: 2011-08-15
Packaged: 2017-10-22 15:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/239705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's an equal exchange: one skill for another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Equal Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> Written for sga_saturday Week #11: limn.

Evan gives Ronon a skeptical look. “This is really what you want.”

 

“Told you, didn’t I?” Ronon asks.

 

Evan shrugs. If Ronon thinks that trading sparring lessons for painting lessons is a fair trade, Evan won’t argue. He knows how tough the Wraith are, and he’s faced a lot of different kinds of resistance in his line of work. Ronon is the best fighter on the city, other than Teyla; Evan knows how to take his lumps, and he wouldn’t mind learning some new techniques.

 

Besides, as many times as he’s had to rescue Sheppard and his team, Evan could use the extra practice.

 

“Okay,” Evan finally says, pulling out a sketchpad and a palette of watercolors. “We’ll start with the watercolors.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Mostly because that’s how I learned,” Evan admits. “And it’s a decent way to start. Have you ever done anything like this before?”

 

Ronon’s expression becomes very distant in a heartbeat. “Yeah. I used to.”

 

Evan softens a little at that, realizing that Ronon isn’t messing around with him. “You never told me why you want to learn how to paint,” he says softly.

 

Ronon is quiet for a long moment, and Evan is certain that he’s not going to respond, until he says, “I have a lot of memories, but there aren’t many pictures left.”

 

Evan nods slowly. He approaches painting from the same direction—wanting to capture what he’s seen when words or even photographs won’t do it justice—even if he’s not that good. He can’t imagine losing an entire world, and having nothing of it left.

 

It’s no wonder that Ronon might want to preserve what little is left of his world and his people in the only way he can.

 

“Okay,” Evan says quietly. “We’ll start by drawing what’s in front of us, and then we’ll move on to working from memory.”

 

Ronon’s grunt of assent is answer enough, and Evan begins as his mom had, by explaining the finer details of perspective.


End file.
